Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1 - 6, 8 - 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qiao et al. (US 20220386401 A1)
Regarding claim 1, Qiao discloses a method to control a wireless communication device in a visited wireless communication network (Abstract discloses “A wireless device may be capable of simultaneously accessing a plurality of networks that are associated with a visited network. The visited network may or may not allow the wireless device to simultaneously access the plurality of networks, for example, based on a status of the visited network. …. “; wherein controlling the wireless communication device is allowing or not allowing it to access the plurality of networks [0002]), the method comprising:
storing a slice indicator for a visited wireless network slice in the visited wireless communication network (Fig. 3, NRF 330; [0053] discloses “The NRF may store data relating to the one or more services that the NF is prepared to provide to other NFs in the service-based architecture”; [0071] discloses “The NSSF 370 may select/determine one or more network slices to be used by the wireless device 301. The NSSF 370 may select a slice based on slice selection information”; wherein storing is inherent since a slice is selected);
receiving a request from the visited wireless communication network for the wireless communication device (Fig. 22A, block 2210 discloses base station sends a first message to wireless communication device; [0235] discloses “The wireless device 2010 may determine to select the plurality of VPLMNs, for example, after or in response to the one or more messages 2041 (e.g., the first message) …”);
and in response to receiving the request, retrieving the slice indicator for the visited wireless communication network ([0071], as in earlier limitation) and transferring the slice indicator to the wireless communication device over the visited wireless communication network ([0218] discloses “The base station 2020 (e.g., V-(R)AN) may send/transmit, to the wireless device 2010, an indication associated with simultaneous PLMN access (e.g., a simultaneous multi-slice multi-PLMN support (SMMS) indication,…” ), wherein the wireless communication device communicates using the visited wireless network slice in the visited wireless communication network in response to receiving the slice indicator (Fig. 22A, block 2230; [0237] discloses “The wireless device 2010 may access at least one network slice of the plurality of different network slices via the selected plurality of VPLMNs (e.g., step 2230 shown in FIG. 22A) …”).
Qiao discloses all the above limitations, though they may not be in a single embodiment.
However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to combine what is disclosed by Qiao because this would enable the wireless device to know which slice to use when on a visited wireless network.
Regarding claim 2, Qiao discloses storing a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) Identifier (ID) for the visited wireless communication network (e.g. [0218] as below);
and wherein storing the slice indicator comprises storing the slice indicator in association with the PLMN ID ([0218] discloses “The base station 2020 (e.g., V-(R)AN) may send/transmit, to the wireless device 2010, an indication associated with simultaneous PLMN access (e.g., a simultaneous multi-slice multi-PLMN support (SMMS) indication,…” ; wherein the association is in the multi-slice PLMN support indication; [0226] discloses “…or a network slice associated with the at least one allowed PLMN…”);
and retrieving the slice indicator and transferring the slice indicator to the wireless communication device in response to receiving the request comprises retrieving the slice indicator and transferring the slice indicator to the wireless communication device ([0071], [0218], as in corresponding limitation in claim 1) in response to receiving the PLMN ID in the request ([0203] discloses “The at least one parameter may comprise a parameter indicating a selected PLMN identity …“; as in claim 1: [0235] discloses “The wireless device 2010 may determine to select the plurality of VPLMNs ….”).
Regarding claim 3, Qiao discloses storing a user application indicator for the visited wireless communication network (Fig. 3, block 399 and [0060] disclose Application Function AF; [0105] discloses “The application layer may interact with an end user to provide data associated with an application “; [0077], last line discloses “… and/or an application indicator/identifier”; [0053] discloses NRF stores data);
and wherein storing the slice indicator comprises storing the slice indicator in association with the user application indicator ([0150] discloses association between slice and application: “The URSP may indicate that data traffic associated with a particular application should be mapped to a particular SSC mode, network slice,…”);
and retrieving the slice indicator and transferring the slice indicator to the wireless communication device in response to receiving the request comprises retrieving the slice indicator and transferring the slice indicator to the wireless communication device (as in claim 1 or 2) in response to receiving the user application indicator in the request (as in [0150] above).
Regarding claim 4, Qiao discloses several access technologies may be used ([0044] discloses “The base station may be referred to using different terminologies in different communication standards/protocols ….”).
Hence, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, that an indicator for each standard is required to distinguish between them.
Similar to claims 2 and 3, having an association between the standards and network slices is obvious to have since a network slice may use of the above standards. Hence, claim 4 limitations are an obvious variation of claims 2 and 3, with communication standard indicator replacing “PLM ID” or “application indicator” (Rationales for Obviousness (MPEP 2143, Rationale F)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to use an access technology indicator for the different communication standards because this would enable the wireless device to know which standard it has to use to in the visiting network.
Regarding claim 5, Qiao discloses storing the slice indicator comprises storing a prioritized slice list that includes the slice indicator and additional slice indicators in a priority order ([0226] discloses “The list of allowed PLMNs and associated network slices may comprise at least one of: at least one allowed PLMN; a priority of the at least one allowed PLMN; and/or a network slice associated with the at least one allowed PLMN…”);
retrieving the slice indicator and transferring the slice indicator to the wireless communication device in response to receiving the request comprises retrieving the prioritized slice list that includes the slice indicator and the additional slice indicators in the priority order and transferring the prioritized slice list to the wireless communication device in response to receiving the request (analyzed as in claims 1 or above since only what is retrieved and transferred is different).
Regarding claim 6, Qiao discloses the slice indicator comprises a slice type ([0101] discloses “The S-NSSAI may comprise a particular slice/service type (SST) indicator”; [0209] discloses “The roaming agreement may allow the wireless device 1910 to access a network slice of a first type (e.g., an eMBB network slice) via VPLMN 1, access a network slice of a second type (e.g., a URLLC network slice) via VPLMN 2, and/or a network slice of a third type (e.g., an MIoT network slice)“; [0102] and [0197] further disclose use of slice type).
Regarding claim 8, Qiao discloses VPLMN ([0002]), SOR-AF (Fig. 18, block 1840; [0204]; [0205]), UDM (Fig. 18, block 1830; [0205]). Qiao ([0267]) discloses “The indication of simultaneous access to multiple network slices on different PLMNs of the allowed VPLMNs and the information indicating network slices …. e.g., provided by the H-UDM”). All other limitations of claim 8 are similarly analyzed as in claim 1.
Claim 9 is similarly analyzed as claim 2, with the UDM storing, retrieving and transferring the slice indicator (inherent in Fig. 18, block 1830 communicates with 1810 via 1820).
Regarding claim 10, Qiao discloses the SoR-AF modifying the slice indicator for the visited PLMN ([0205] discloses “The steering of roaming application function (SOR-AF) 1840 may send/transmit an update request (e.g., network function unified data management (Nudm) parameter provision update request (e.g., Nudm_ParameterProvision_Update request) to the HPLMN unified data management (UDM)).
All other limitations are analyzed as in claims 8, 9. If the slice indicator changes, another PLMN could be used based on the new indicator and as disclosed in [0226] and claim 5.
Claim 11 is similarly analyzed as claims 3 and 8.
Claim 12 is similarly analyzed as claim 4.
Claim 13 is similarly analyzed as claim 5.
Claim 14 is similarly analyzed as claim 1, with claim 14 reciting equivalent apparatus limitations. Claim 14 additionally recites database and controller. Qiao discloses storing data ([0053] discloses “The NRF may store data…”; hence database is inherent) and controllers ([0183]; Fig. 13A).
Claim 15 is similarly analyzed as claim 2.
Claim 16 is similarly analyzed as claim 3.
Claim 17 is similarly analyzed as claim 4.
Claim 18 is similarly analyzed as claim 5.
Claim 19 is similarly analyzed as claim 6.
Claims 7, 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qiao et al. (US 20220386401 A1) in view of Liu et al. (US 20200178321 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Qiao discloses retrieving the slice indicator for the visited wireless communication network and transferring the slice indicator to the wireless communication device over the visited wireless communication network in response to receiving the request comprises retrieving the slice indicator for the visited wireless communication network and transferring the slice indicator to the wireless communication device over the visited wireless communication network ([0071]; [0218]; [0237]).
Qiao does not disclose:
receiving the request from the visited wireless communication network for the wireless communication device comprises receiving a Subscriber Data Management GET message from the visited wireless communication network for the wireless communication device.
In the same field of endeavor, however, Liu discloses:
receiving the request from the visited wireless communication network for the wireless communication device comprises receiving a Subscriber Data Management GET message from the visited wireless communication network for the wireless communication device (Fig. 7 shows home PLMN and visited PLMN, HPLMN and VPLMN respectively; [0156]; [0070 discloses “A service for requesting the subscription data may be Nudm_Subscriber_Data_Get. For example, the service may be invoked by sending Nudm_Subscriber_Data_GetRequest, and Nudm_Subscriber_Data_GetRequest includes the identification information of the terminal device, the DNN, and the slice information“).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, to use the GET message, as disclosed by Liu, in the system of Qiao because Nudm_Subscriber_Data_Get messages are well known in the art to be used to retrieve subscription data and slice information.
Claim 20 is similarly analyzed as claim 7.
Other Prior Art Cited
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to the applicant’s disclosure.
The following patents/publications are cited to further show the state of the art with respect to slice indicator usage in visited networks:
Mavureddi et al. (us 20260032442 a1) discloses method and apparatus for providing a security mechanism for a steering of roaming procedure.
Khare et al. (US 20240388902 A1) discloses causing an authentication procedure between mobile equipment and core network.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ADOLF DSOUZA whose telephone number is (571)272-1043. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 9 AM - 5 PM.
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/ADOLF DSOUZA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2632
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